Chishi no Gaishou
by Koyasha1
Summary: I guess it's kinda dark, with a little humor thrown in. This is just an overview at the moment, main pairing being ?XKen [YAOI! You have been warned!]. The Lords of Japan are Vamps. Shogunate wins the Rev.
1. Prologue 1: Roots

Don't ask where I came up with the idea for this at. I guess I have a morbid imagination or something... Thumbs up to whoever knows the translation of the title! (I do! I do!) And yes, it is relevant to the story.  
  
RK story. AU timeline. The Revolution failed. All of the Japanese upper class (samurai and up) are kyuuketsuki (vampires) and they lower classes are composed of humans. Some of the rogue bands of traders and such are kyuuketsuki, but most of the bandits are human, as well. Some of the Lords disliked the way the humans were subservient to the vampires, and were known as Hunters for their disposing of corrupt Lords.  
  
** The Bakumatsu took place between the Hunters and the Lords, though history never remembered that fact. All the historians saw was the conflict to return control of Japan to the Emperor.  
  
A young red-haired boy ran across a small space in front of a hut, carefully watched by a kind old man. The boy didn't smile, didn't laugh. All he did was throw a ball up into the air and catch it. He couldn't have been older than five, but with his quiet demeanor and shadowed expression, one would think he was twice that, despite his small height. A close look at the background showed two small graves, marked only by stick crosses and a few dead flowers. Most likely, they were the resting places of the boy's family.  
  
As Shinta missed the ball, it bounced and rolled to a spot right next to the path leading to the Lord's manor. The small boy bent over to pick the errant ball up, and when he straightened, he was looking up into the rotted mouth of a slave trader.  
  
"Well, well. He's a pretty one. He'll fetch a handsome price at the market, wouldn't ye say, Taro?"  
  
"Hai, Taicho." [1]  
  
"C'mon, gaki [2]. We're takin' you with us."  
  
Shinta took a couple of hesitant steps back, only to run into a different trader. Soon, he was surrounded by them. When they moved away, all that was left to remember them was a ball on the ground.  
  
Within Shinta's first week of captivity, he was left at a small brothel near his old home for training. The women there were kind to him and taught him various things of their trade. He didn't understand at the time, and they weren't going to explain it to him. Being so young, he couldn't work with them, so they were all too happy to take a day off to be surrogate mothers. But, every good thing also has a bad to balance it. While the prostitutes would shield him, the pimp behind the outfit would ingrain certain behaviors common to "loose women."  
  
Soon, the same band of dorei-no-bainin [3] came back through, and took the small boy with them again. This time around, he was the Haku's (the taicho) personal slave. In fact, because of the way he looked, he was rarely beaten. Most of the men thought he was a demon from the hair and eye color, so he was left alone. The one time he was publicly raped and beaten was when he helped a young girl escape. All in all, he was treated better than the regular field slaves, if you could consider Haku's testing of those "skills" better.  
  
When Shinta was around eight years old, Haku and his gang were slaughtered by a human hidan [4]. Even the slaves, including the child's only three friends, were slaughtered. The only reason the heihi [5] hesitated was the same reason for the boy having been alive this long: his red hair and amber-flecked violet eyes. That hesitation cost them their lives as a tall swordsman showed up, killing any foolish enough to attack him. Which was all of 'em...  
  
"Be happy you lived, boy. Though, no one will blame you if you kill yourself," Hiko Seijuro told Shinta before leaving, long legs carrying him across the make-shift battlefield.  
  
Shinta merely watched him with wide eyes, admiring his strength. Slowly, he climbed to his feet and set to work burying the fallen. Doggedly, he kept at it, until each corpse was buried. The next day found that same swordsman back at the site, where the boy knelt, offering prayers to the dead. Before the day was over, Shinta no longer existed. In his place was the deshi of Hiko Seijuro XIII, Kenshin.  
  
)(.)(.)(.)(  
  
Well, there's the quick overview of Kenshin's past this time around. I didn't want it to take too long, cause I seem to jump years quite a bit. I guess you could say that this is the first prologue. Next will be a scene or two from the Bakumatsu. See ya then.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
1. taicho - - captain  
  
2. gaki - - brat (I've seen this so many times as vampire, so it's kinda a pun)  
  
3. dorei-no-bainin - - trader of slaves, slave trader.  
  
4. hidan - - bandit gang  
  
5. heihi - - bandits 


	2. Prologue 2: Beginnings

. Picking up where we left off, this covers a couple of scenes I deemed important to the plot of the actual story. Bear with me; I'm trying to make this the best story I've done. It just involves me jumping from one year to another sometimes, so I'm trying to compensate for that by only doing important scenes and labeling 'em as such. Lord knows that I'm tired of leaping across years as well.  
  
Thanks for all the reviews! I know I'm irregular in my updating....Parents, and all.  
  
koe760: Really? You think it's good enough? Well, then, here you go! Next chapter!  
  
zeynel: I won't keep you waiting much longer, then. ^_^  
  
Youkai-Onna: Yeah, yeah. Here's your lousy notification. ATTENTION ALL READERS! YOUKAI-ONNA HELPED ME DEVELOP THIS IDEA. Thanks bunches, luv!  
  
Xavier: "Very well done" huh? I'm flattered! :D Hope you like it as it grows!  
  
One final note: I'm making Sano older in this story.  
  
^^Bakumatsu, Chousu Clan headquarters  
  
A hitokiri of the Ishin Shishi, Himura Kenshin, sat in a room with the rest of the men, eating the mid-day meal quietly. Iizuka, the man in charge of the clean-ups and gathering information from the Shogunate, had yet to intrude, and the young man was grateful, wishing only to brood in solitude.  
  
"Konichiwa, Himura!" said man greeted, sitting down next to him.  
  
Kenshin fought the urge to groan and merely nodded, lifting the tasteless cup of sake to his lips. Patiently, he endured the babbling of his comrade, until it became too much, and he lifted his sword, using it to push himself to his feet before walking out.  
  
Behind him, Iizuka smirked as he went over his plan once more...  
  
Later that night, Kenshin found himself alone, as usual, in the room he slept in. Sitting against the books he had piled up, the young man sighed and removed a top from its hiding place. Carefully, he wound the string around it, and then pulled, causing the child's toy to whiz around. Oblivious to anything else around him, Kenshin thought about his time with Hiko. 'I wish I hadn't decided to do this. Shishou was right about them.'  
  
So caught up in his thoughts was he that the young hitokiri never noticed a shadowed figure steal into the room towards him. There was no sound to alert the red-head until the intruder had clamped a hand over his mouth and wrapped an arm around his waist to prevent his getting away.  
  
"Now, now, Himura. It's just me," came Iizuka's voice. The husky tone immediately put Kenshin on guard. "Stay quiet, or I'll snap your neck."  
  
'What is he doing?!' Kenshin thought as he felt the arm remove itself to relieve him of his weapons. With rough movements, the older man jerked his arms up and he could feel a cord snake around his arms. Soon, his wrists were bound above him, tight enough to hold, but not painful. Suddenly, he was spun around and shoved flat on his back, Iizuka over him.  
  
Grinning viciously, the black haired man yanked at Kenshin's gi so that it just hung on his arms. The hitokiri stiffened as he saw the fangs previously hidden. When Iizuka bent over and scraped his fangs over the skin on the young man's neck, his victim shivered at the sensation, unconsciously opening himself more. A dark chuckle erupted from the kyuuketsuki's throat at the reaction of the youth.  
  
"My brother broke you well, didn't he?" A low moan answered him. "His name was Haku. He often spoke of you....It's amazing that you can still be controlled by this, ne?" Smirking, Iizuka decided not to deny himself any longer.  
  
The next morning found Kenshin in his room, lying on the futon with bruises on his neck and wrists. There was also a pain lower down, but past experiences told him what it was and how to ignore it. Initially, he thought to go to Katsura and tell him, but pride wouldn't let him do that. No, he'd deal with it on his own...  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
A youth with long brown hair in a loose ponytail ran through the forest breathing heavily. Every so often, he'd glance back to where men were struggling to get through the dense brush. The white gi he wore stuck out like a sore thumb, but he didn't care. If he fell a few more times, it'd be brown....And he knew that if he used the sword in his belt, it'd leave a more obvious trail.  
  
His name was Tokugawa Ieyasu, named after the one who started the dynasty of Shoguns. At the moment, he was just running to get away from said family so that he could join the fight to end the tyranny he saw every day. Gritting his teeth together, he pushed further into the forest, losing his pursuers.  
  
Finally, he collapsed in a clearing by a stream, exhausted. After resting a moment, he pushed himself to his feet. "Kuso...Tousan won't leave off with just the guards. I gotta keep moving. Next will be the shinobi..." he cut off as he saw a young man across the stream talking to a large group of soldiers. Of course, he had heard of this group, if the red bandanas were any indication. It was the Sekihotai of the patriot side.  
  
"Huh, seems like my luck just picked up," he said with a grin, carefully crossing the stream to go and wait patiently.  
  
After a moment, the leader of the group noticed him and excused himself from the rest. Calmly, the youth waited for him and bowed when he was in front of him. "Gomen for interrupting you. My name's...Sanosuke."  
  
The Sekihotai member bowed as well. "I am Sagara Souzou. Is there something you wanted, Sanosuke-san?"  
  
"I wanted to join the Sekihotai," the newly-named Sanosuke blurted.  
  
"Ah, so desu. Do you have a family name, Sanosuke-san?"  
  
"No. But the Sekihotai is made of farmers, right?"  
  
Souzou nodded and looked over Sano's shoulder. Swiftly, he moved closer, leaning in to whisper "You are the Shogun's son, are you not? There are ninja following you."  
  
"Shimatta. He sent them quicker than I thought..."  
  
"Come on," the captain replied, pulling Sano into the shadow of a nearby tree. Quickly, he drew his sword and slashed off the brunette's hair above the ponytail, then handed him a spare red bandana. "It's all I can do right now. I'll see about a uniform after a bit," he said in a hushed voice.  
  
"Arigatou ..Sagara-taichou."  
  
#^*#^*#^*  
  
Ok, that's all the scenes I can think of that are important for the Bakumatsu... Vote for pairings, yes? And I'll agree with Clarus on something: Kenshin is a slut as far as I'm concerned. Here's the ballot:  
  
Sano x Souzou  
  
Sano x Megumi  
  
Sano x Kenshin  
  
Saitou x Kenshin  
  
Aoshi x Kenshin  
  
Soujiro x Kenshin  
  
Kenshin x Megumi  
  
Kenshin x Kaoru  
  
Other x Other*  
  
*Any other you can think of. Gomen, I just can't write Sano x Saitou or vice versa. It's about the only thing. 


	3. In Which we see some things through a Mi...

Dang….I haven't updated in a long time, have I??? Well, I'm not dead! Really! Life is difficult.. sigh Well, here is this chapter. I just received word from that dark part of my brain that actually KEEPS on schedule that says this story will be longer than I anticipated….another sigh If that's the case, I better get crackin', huh?

Reviewer's Spot:

**Pikazoom**: I agree, completely. There needs to be more of it.

**Rath**: I get lazy too. Alright, I'll try to elaborate on the vampyness. Thanks for your vote!

**Youkai-Onna**: First thing….tell that crazy drunk woman to urusai. This is a democracy, and what the people want, they get. (to an extent. ) Thanks for the vote!

**Koe760**: I'm glad you think it's interesting. Thanks for the voting, though it is a bit indecisive. () Anywho, I'm updating! Yay!

**sonia**: Lol. Ok, no threat seen. I try to update, but my parents hate fanfiction and anime. sighAlright, sonia… where's the vote? You people are deciding, not me. Thanks for the review!

**XZanayu**: Thanks for the review! I'm continuing, ASAP.

**Akane-dono**: I agree with the Kaoru angel thing…..I'm not a big fan of hers, myself… I'm glad you liked the twist in pairing.. I'd been itching to do that, cause Iizuka got on my nerves, so I had to put some bastard-ization in… Arigatou for the votes!

Results from the votes are below the story. Thanks, everyone!

Chapter One: In which we see a glimpse of the Wolf in the past, and present.

Bakumatsu, Kyoto

Standing in a narrow street, a lean man with black hair and the Shinsen-gumi uniform looked up at the night sky. Narrowing his eyes at the disc in the sky, he lifted a burning cigarette to his lips, inhaling the smoke.

"Saitou-dono, what are you doing out here?" a younger man asked. This was Okita Souji, captain of the First Squad of the Shinsen-gumi.

"Getting as far away from the ignorance as possible."

"You know, that girl, Tokio-san. She's been looking for you. Aren't you going to speak to your fiancée?"

"No. After I left my home, I feel no particular urge to agree to what my father asks me to do. Including a marriage."

"Oh, that's too bad. She seems like a really nice girl."

"How fortunate. Maybe she can find a different man to marry," the Third Squad captain replied, dropping the remains of his cigarette to the ground.

"I'll never understand you, Saitou-dono. You're an Ookami, a Hunter. Why aren't you fighting with them?"

"Good. I don't want anyone to understand me."

Okita looked at him, bemused. Suddenly, he covered his mouth, clenching his eyes shut as a coughing fit shook his form.

Hajime frowned at him. "Come on. We have to be ready."

"Hai, Saitou-dono. We can't keep the Isshin Shishi waiting, ne? Perhaps we will see Hitokiri Battousai again."

Chuckling good-naturedly, Hajime started off.

Edo, 1878 – (note: Tokyo is still called Edo, since the Meiji never came to exist.)

A lean, wolf-like man with narrow eyes and black hair, dressed simply in a dark blue gi and tan hakama, made his way to a dojo that taught Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu. Between his three present jobs, he had found out where to find his target quite easily. To the Shogunate, he was a Miburo, loyal as ever. To the small rebel force hiding around the country, he was a powerful ally, supplying them with information and occasionally assassinating some of the Shogun's subordinates. At present, Saitou Hajime had a double assignment: find Himura Battousai for the rebels, and kill him for the Shogunate.

Settling the medicine box on his back, Hajime gave a call from the gates of the dojo. The only answer was from a rooster-headed youth that looked like – no, he smelled like it too. This brawler seemed to him to be the missing son of the Shogun. Undoubtably, he could sense the Miburo's intentions by now, but he did not seem to notice at all. Well, he was supposed to leave a….present, for Himura Battousai, and since the young man was the only one available, he'd have to make due.

After all, a wounded friend is the best warning for a renegade hiding from the Shogun, as well as a decent one for a Shogun, since this was his heir.

Ok, I know it's not as long as one would hope for my fairly long hiatus on this. But it's better than nothing, right? Right? ….looks sheepish Hehehe…Anyway, here's results.

Votes so far:

Saitou x Kenshin – 4

Sano x Kenshin – 2

Sano x Souzou – 2

Any (guy) x Kenshin (x Any (guy)) - 3

Soujirou x Kenshin – 2

Aoshi x Kenshin – 2

Katsura x Kenshin – 1 (hmm. Unexpected. But I'll see about it)

That Katsura x Kenshin one surprised me. You know, I found one fic like that, too… I believe it's Drinking Mercury, by Shini no Miko. Well, anyway. As you can see by the votes, the pairings stand so far as a Saitou x Kenshin definite, with a debatable Sano x Kenshin / Souzou… Guess that part's on my "Find out what the people really want" list. So this chapter, vote on who Sano should be with, onegai. It's the last pairing vote. And, I'm very sorry, but the only way I see Sano and Saitou in a relationship is in a threesome. Here's the rooster-head's ballot: **Sano x Souzou** (or vice versa), **Sano x Aoshi**, **Sano x Chou**, **Sano x Katsu**, **Sano x Any,** **Sano x Megumi**, **Sano x Kaoru**, **Sano x Misao**. (my preference is Sano x Souzou, but whatever the people want, ne?)


End file.
